getting the dogs to go up and down in unison. >> i think it was pure luck he was barking to the beat. >> reporter: the band leader's favorite part is called popcorn. featuring spike the latest canine pop star. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. >> i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." "john king usa" starts right now. it is 40 days until the midterms and finally, today, republican leaders did what people have been demanding for months. put out an agenda. so tonight they're catching flak for it from all sides, even from their own party. this pledge to america is meant to echo 1994's contract with america. back then, you'll remember newt gingrich and company unveiled their contract on capitol hill. they had a solemn signing ceremony right in the heart of washington. this year's stagecraft couldn't be more different. outside washington in a

virginia hardware store, no ties, no pledging, and according to the white house, no new ideas. >> i think john boehner said and i think most of the american people will see that this is very much in line with what the republican party has proposed for the past many years. >> so does robert gibbs have a point? >> not going to be any different than what we've been. we are going to stand up for those things we believe in. >> you expect democrats and republicans not to get along. the real shocker tonight is how much criticism the pledge is getting from republicans, especially tea party conservatives. here to talk this over and more, cnn contributor ericer ixson. editor in chief of redstate.com and author of "red stateup rising." cornell bulcher. democratic mayor of los angeles.

antonio. and republican strategist, rich galen. i want to start with you, erick, if you will allow us to skip you, mr. mayor, for a moment. erick erickson has gone after this pledge calling it pablam. others have called it a pledge to do nothing. >> i think i said milquetoast. the party of no has been working well for nancy pelosi in 2006, it's been working well for us now. i'm disappointed in them. it doesn't have an earmark span which i thought they needed to have after the big dog and pony show over earmarks. it starts off at the beginning about how the ruling class elite. page 15, mandates on health care insurance companies. i'm just disappointed with. >> let me read you what david frumm, former bush speech writer has said about you. he wants to ask you, what did

you expect? here's the gop cruising to a hansom election victory. did you seriously imagine they would jeopardize the project of victory and chairmanships by issuing big, bold promises to do deadly unpopular things? >> what's very popular right now is defunding obama care. all the things david frumm would want in life are things republicans and most americans are opposed to. i didn't expect them to go in that direction. unfortunately i think they went more in that direction than what tea party activists and americans would like. the original contract with america was 869 words. this is longer than the american constitution. it says it's a committee of compromises that put it together which by necessity means it's not bold or exciting. >> mr. mayor, i want to ask you on the substance. among other things it says permanently extend all bush era tax cuts. cut federal spending to 2008 levels. repeal and replace obama health care. require every bill to have a citation of constitutional authority, prohibit taxpayer

funding for abortion. some of the things not in it, a way to pay for tax cuts, a ban on earmarks, a way to lower health care costs. can you give us an outside the beltway take? how will this play in los angeles and california? >> first of all, you said stage craft. i think in delaware they call it witchcraft. secondly, you know, i think for most of us in cities across the country the polarization, the vitreal, the finger pointing is something that's just -- it's out of the mainstream. it doesn't -- it doesn't register with most of us. i'll tell you. when you look at the cost of what they're proposing, a $4 trillion to the deficit, historic deficit and debt. we need to invest in infrastructure, need to create jobs. i don't know how you create jobs with this plan. >> you don't create jobs with the status quo. we haven't created a single job other than census takers if we can do the census every three or four months we could have 4.5%

unemployment. it hasn't worked. the status quo is not working. >> that's not true. if you look at the 700,000 jobs we were losing a month when barack obama came into office, to where we are right now, where we're actually creating jobs, that's just not true. i'm not going to let you talk about obama. we're going to talk about what you guys put out this week. what you guys put out this week doubled down on the bush era policies. i agree with erick on this. this is stagnation and he shouldn't carry the that water. >> as one of america's great pollsters what you ought to do it pose this question. are you in favor of the republican plan or the status quo which is what the democrats are for? >> the republican plan created a situation where we lost 8 million or 9 million jobs. >> no, no, the economy didn't go in the tank until the democrats got back congress and created this uncertainty the republicans are trying to -- >> let me weigh in and play

something dana bash -- let the guys talk. dana bash had an exclusive interview with john boehner after this, the man who wants to be speaker. she asked him about a voter she ran into this morning. listen to this. >> there was a voter, he said he was independent, he's actually registered in florida. he says he wants to support the republicans but he actually took the time and read your pledge online and said to me, where's the beef? >> i think if you look at our pledge, it's certainly a more substantive than what was in the contract with america 16 years ago. and if you go through the entire pledge, there are specifics that don't stop. >> specifics that don't stop. you were there when newt gingrich proposed a contract with america. are there more specifics now? >> the contract with america was a promise to bring ten bills to the floor of the house for a vote. >> very concrete promises. >> there were ten bills. they were just ten bills. it wasn't a grand sweeping -- >> they had to sign it and agree.

this has no commitment attached to it. >> of course it does. >> no one has to say the pledge. they didn't ask anyone to take the pledge. >> there's nothing to pledge to. it is a document that republicans are going to run on and we talked about this a little bit earlier. independents may not read it because it's too long, but they just want to know it's there. and as we saw earlier today in the pew poll, independents are breaking toward republicans in greater numbers, plus seven or eight now. >> one of the things you've seen a lot of volatility in the polls, a six-point swing in the gallup poll toward democrats. you have to acknowledge they were trying to be a little too cute with this. at the same time they didn't want to give us something to run on but at the same time they, in fact, did. not trying to score political points. right now we're trying to make the case it's a choice, not a referendum. this gives us fodder to say this

is a choice. this is the choice you have and -- >> let's listen quickly, rich, to what your boss said 16 years ago on the steps of the capitol. >> recognize that if america fails, our children will live on a dark and bloody planet. if the american people accept this contract, we'll have begun the journey to renew american civilization. >> he was talking about the war in bosnia and bloodshed that was really happening, but a pretty dark era he described. not all of the contract passed. are we living in that dark era? >> they all got to the floor which was all that he was promising. >> wasn't it a suggestion -- >> three or four of them were constitutional amendments. they were never going to pass. >> what's the point? mayor, mayor, go ahead. >> the problem -- >> the point is -- control of the congress for the first time in four years. that was the point. >> the problems with this contract is it doesn't speak to job creation. it doesn't speak to infrastructure investment. it doesn't speak to the crisis of education in america.

it doesn't speak to the energy cris crisis. it's just a bunch of words. and frankly -- >> put this in perspective, though. the contract with america was not why the republicans took back congress in '94. having this document out today is not really going to help or hurt the republican, but it certainly gets people saying they're no longer the party of no, they've got something. >> we have to pay the bills for a minute. we're going to stay here and come back on the other side of this break. i promise. when we come back, we have another story to touch on. tonight's breaking news from virginia. that state is about to execute its first female prisoner in nearly a century. the death penalty is stirring up passions and political races across the country. i'm going to ask all these folks about it coming up next. you never take an upgrade for granted. and you rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle. and go. you can even take a full-size or above.

and still pay the mid-size price. i deserve this. [ male announcer ] you do, business pro. you do. go national. go like a pro. i really didn't see it coming. i didn't realize i was drifting into the other lane. [ kim ] i was literally falling asleep at the wheel. it got my attention, telling me that i wasn't paying attention. i had no idea the guy in front of me had stopped short. but my car did. my car did. thankfully, my mercedes did. [ male announcer ] a world you can't predict... demands a car you can trust. the e-class. see your authorized mercedes-benz dealer for exceptional offers through mercedes-benz financial. ♪ through mercedes-benz financial. i but i justve my 5 employcan't afford it.ance, i have diabetes. i didn't miss a premium payment for 10 years. and i'm worried if i lose my job, i won't be able to afford insurance. when i graduated from college, i lost my health insurance. the minute i got sick, i lost my insurance. not anymore. not anymore. not anymore.

america's healthcare reforms change lives for the better. to find out how it can help you, visit us at americasfairhealthcare.org it's not just fair, it's the law. to everyone who wants to go to college and everyone who started college but never finished... to late bloomers... full-time moms... and everyone who is good at something but wants to be great. welcome to kaplan university. the university that's changing the face of education... to undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees... degrees that can give you a leg up... in a tough job market... in any job market... welcome. welcome to kaplan university. call kaplan university now or visit us on-line to take our free learning assessment.

there's breaking news tonight in virginia. you're looking live at the greensville correction facility in jarrett, virginia. about two hours from now at 9:00 p.m. eastern, theresa lewis is scheduled to die by lethal injection of the murders of her husband and step son. she didn't pull the trigger, she plotted with the two men who did. they got life sentences.

she pleaded guilty and was condemned to die. sooner or later every state faces these questions. is the death penalty right? is it fair? to discuss these questions is our panel, again, joining us to talk not only about the issue of the death penalty, but is it a political issue that can win for candidates this year? rich, your take, this is a woman who is borderline mentally retarded. some have said this is inhumane. >> the courts get to arbitrate these things. i think the death penalty is like abortion and gun control. people have made up their minds. they know where they stand on this and the notion of this event, whether you think it's okay, not okay, horrible, whatever, is not going to move any votes because people have made up their minds on what they think about the death penalty. jerry brown, of course, stuck his face into this something, but he was tired because he was just coming back from neptune. >> okay. well let's give that some context. >> before we skip to that political point, i've been

struggling with this story all day. i've been struggling with this story all day. i don't understand sort of how this rises to this level. we know the system railroads black and brown people at disproportionate rate and this story never comes out. this story is a national story. i feel sorry for her and the family. >> women are rarely executed? >> and, yeah but the system railroads black and brown people at an astonishing rate. that's not at the top of the ticker story. this is. i have a problem with that. >> i think we actually have -- do we have a graphic? we've researched this and clearly not only are african-americans more likely to be executed, but i think in your state hispanics are in california. >> that's right. there are more people on death row in california than any other state of the country. let me say something about jerry brown because you mentioned him. i want to be absolutely clear. for more than 30 years, since 1977, jerry brown has said although at that time he didn't support the death penalty, he'd

enforce the law and has enforced the law. he's now calling for the resumption of executions in california. so obviously over that time he's changed his opinion, but what's important is that he's willing to, and will, enforce the law. >> let me put this in context for our viewers. jerry brown running for governor in california has been governor in the past. was against the death penalty in the past. has now said as attorney general he's simply standing up for the law. it's his obligation as a chief law enforcement officer to press the judicial system to allow executions to begin again there. >> he could have said as governor i'm going to introduce a bill -- >> here's what meg whitman has said about him accusing him of flip-flop. quote, on matters of life and death jerry brown is willing to play politics. none of this squares with jerry brown's record and must have his supporters scratching their heads. >> since 1977 he's enforced the law. and the fact is that even if he

now is asking for a resumption of the death penalty, people over time change their opinions through their experiences. and so i don't think it's flip-flopping by any stretch of the imagination. >> erick, the death penalty costs five to six times more than actually keeping somebody in prison for life. is this actually a wise expenditure of taxpayer dollars? >> oh, absolutely. i think we need to speed up the process. that's why it costs so much. >> you stand for cutting government spending. >> absolutely. >> if it costs more -- >> it costs more because we let people drag it out and contest civil rights and issue one point under the i.q. limit or one point above the i. q. limit. we should have more death penalties in this country. i realize this is shocking to a lot of people, but i live in the south. i live in georgia and go to church with people who are thinking when someone violently rapes someone to the point of death, particularly a child, why do the two guys who pulled the

triggers not get an execution? some people do violent, heinous crimes. they're not going to reform. i don't have a problem with the death penalty. >> cornell, you're shaking your head. >> if you look at the sort of people -- if we execute one person who's not guilty, you know, we have to live with that as a moral society. and quite frankly, that's a price i don't want to pay. i get the death penalty. if you want to argue the death penalty is about revenge i'm all in on that. at the same time people should have a right to appeal and have this thing fought out. we do not want to execute one innocent person. i bet you we have mayor, let me ask you about this. this is comparing the cost of executions, expenditures, versus education expenditures in california. your state spends about $52,000 per inmate and $1,800 per student. >> absolutely.

>> string wroomething wrong wit? >> in 1994 when i got elected there were about 69,000 people in california present. today there's more than 170,000 people in our presence. we're not investing in our kids. i want you to watch "waiting for super man." >> this new movie coming out. >> see the crisis of education in america. the failure of us to address this crisis. to set high standards for our young people. invest in the transformation of our schools is a big reason why we have so many people in prison. >> i have to ask you one question. jerry brown is tied in his race with meg whitman, more or less. you toyed with the idea of running for governor. do you think you would have been a stronger person against her? >> i think jerry brown is going to carry -- >> you're such a -- >> the mayor would have been the governor. now it's going to be meg whitman. >> do you really believe that? >> i believe that, too. >> cornell? >> jerry brown is a fine

candidate. >> thank you. >> all right. all right. thanks, folks. thanks for all of you for being here. next up, we will change gears and take a look at tomorrow's news tonight encolliding what defense secretary robert gates thinks of bob woodward's new book about the obama administration. we're going to see what's cooking with john king. he's in massachusetts. we'll have that up next. down the hill? man: all right. we were actually thinking, maybe... we're going to hike up here, so we'll catch up with you guys. [ indistinct talking and laughter ] whew! i think it's worth it. working with a partner you can trust is always a good decision. massmutual. let our financial professionals help you reach your goals.

everyday i eat your soups, i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes... you're really, rich and happy. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. [ malhis day starts thwith his arthritis pain.. you're really, rich and happy. that's breakfast with two pills. the morning is over, it's time for two more pills. the day marches on, back to more pills. and when he's finally home... but hang on; just two aleve can keep arthritis pain away all day with fewer pills than tylenol. this is steven, who chose aleve and 2 pills for a day free of pain.

and get the all day pain relief of aleve in liquid gels.

welcome back. let's check in now with joe johns for the latest political news you need to know right now. >> president obama won another victory on capitol hill today. the house finished work on its $42 billion package of tax cuts

and loan guarantees for small businesses. the president will sign it on monday. a spokesman for majority leader harry reid confirms the senate will not vote on extending the bush era tax cuts, even for the middle class, until after the midterm elections. defense secretary robert gates revealed today he may have been the last person bob woodward interviewed for his new book about the obama administration's secret debates over the afghanistan war. gates played down stories of in-fighting between the pentagon and white house telling reporters, conflict sells. >> relationship among senior officials in this administration is as harmonious as any i've experienced in my time in government. >> so now we know, jess, peace and harmony in the pentagon of the united states. everybody's just fine. >> those woodward books are always the buzz of washington. they always get everyone going. my favorite headline tonight, this one. in dorchester reporter in

massachusetts has this up. yes, who's that? >> look at that. >> he looks good in an apron. john king trading anchor duties for a chef's apron for tonight's men of boston cook for women's health fund-raiser. >> i would have figured we would have had a cooking show out here by now, john. with all the barbecue and stuff, right? >> reporter: you know, when you're working television, guys, you get one of these. when you're working the kitchen you get one of these. it's a great event. it's the codman square health center's annual fund-raiser. amazing event. this clinic behind us, you can't see it for the tent, provides care to low-income women, low-income residents but this is for low-income women to help them deal with breast cancer, hiv/aids, pregnancy complications. i grew up less than a mile from here. the organizers when they invited me didn't know this. when i was a kid -- the youth clinic used to be in the library over there, to the dental

clinic. restaurants from boston donate the food, people pay to come to the fund-raiser. this is joelle from the ashmont grill. a few blocks down is a restaurant i used to work in in high school. my old boss is here. he doesn't remember we didn't have such a good relationship. >> is this the one i quit? >> reporter: that's the one i quit. good memory. we had some issues. >> i can imagine. we're going to come back to you, john. when we come back, i want you to tell us what you're cooking. save that for later. >> reporter: absolutely. you got it. see you in a little bit. next we're going off to the races with carl paladeno, the republican upsetting the governor's race. without john here, can i get it to work? later i go one-on-one with the billionaire they call dr. yes. he thinks america ought to

rethink the process and try something the brits are doing now. and the question minority leader john boehner wouldn't answer today. stay with us. ♪ you're the one ♪ who's born to care this life was protected... ♪ seems you've always been right there ♪ this life was saved... ♪ soothing sadness ♪ healing pain and this life was made easier... ♪ making smiles appear again because of this life. nursing. at johnson & johnson, we salute all those who choose the life... that makes a difference. ♪ you're a nurse ♪ you make a difference i just wish that all of the important information was gathered together in one place. [ printer whirs ] done.

♪ thanks. do you work here? not yet. from tax info to debunking myths, the field guide to evolving your workforce has everything you need. download it now at thinkbeyondthelabel.com.

my next guest is turning

this year's conventional wisdom on its head. not only did carl paladino beat rick lazion in new york primary for governor but today eat "the new york times" cites recent polling to say he's dealing a blow to andrew cuomo's unbeatable image. he joins us from buffalo. mr. paladino, thank you for being with us. you have unquestionably tapped into voter ander that's really out there this year. you said you're mad as hell, would take a baseball bat to alba albany. it's one of your key mottos this year. the question is, how do you plan on convincing voters you'll be able to get anything done with a state assembly that's more than 70% democratic? >> we've been convincing them right along, and we're going to continue. we're staying on message, same message. this isn't a race between republicans and democrats or conservatives or working family party members. this is a race between the

people and the establishment. and the establishment sees us coming now. clearly, the people are speaking. they're listening to our message. they're engaging. >> okay. wel well, let me play you the cuomo campaign's latest ad. it goes after you pretty aggressively. we'll discuss it. >> carl par dean know got a $1.4 million to create jobs. official filings show one job was created. a $1.4 million tax break for one job? >> that's also the cover of "the new york daily news" today. you used to be a businessman. you said you would slash government spending. would you return that $1.4 million by your own estimation created one job? >> that's not the truth. because the truth is that the forms that are sent out by the state requesting information on the success of the empire zone

treatment only asked how many jobs you as a developer created. in actuality we created jobs through tenants. we improved state. we leased to tenants and the tenants made the jobs. there were many, many jobs created by these benefits the state gave us. we complied with every element of the state requirements and complied to a greater extent than the minimum requirements, to a much greater extent. we were only required to show one -- >> this is a similar argument to what the white house makes about stimulus spending. so why don't we move on to ask you about the landlord issue. you're the landlord of many buildings that currently house new york government daily news" michael dailly said, why don't you cut the $5 million a year they pay you in rent? >> well, they pay us $5 million

a year in rent for roughly 37 leases we have successfully bid over the years. that means we were the low bidder by far. our margins are very, very thin. and the majority of that money goes to pay for the cleaning, the maintenance, the utilities and the property. it's not -- it's not a matter of us putting $5 million in our pocket. our margins are very, very thin. probably only 1% or 2% profit on the state leases. by the way, mr. cuomo's office has approved every one of those leases. so has the state controller's office. >> you're not going to cut the rent, you're not going to return the $1.4 million? >> no, i don't think -- no. >> you have accused andrew cuomo of being part of the corruption. so, is it legitimate to say some of these attacks are more rhetoric than reality?

>> mr. cuomo has been very selective in his prosecution, hasn't he? probably the number one -- the number one conflict at a minimum if not criminal activity is sheldon silver. as he prosecuted sheldon? sheldon blatantly is the one-man dictator in the state of new york. he controls our government with an absolute dictatorial hand. the man takes outside income from whites and luxe zemburg. we draws that income, but he doesn't have to under ethics laws explain how he earns that income and how much, and who he's representing in earning that income. he uses his public office for private purposes, for private gain. where is andrew cuomo? why haven't you prosecuted him, andrew? >> let's get to one of the controversies surrounding you in this campaign, ongoing question about racially incensensitive

comments in e-mails. we have a piece that says when betty jean grant was a council member you said she and other african-americans weren't fit for being on the council. you denied this. why do you think these accusations keep following you? >> because they're surrogates of andrew cuomo. what do you expect them to say? they're surrogates of him. he sent out in the past week and a half every surrogate he could from the pool of albany and city government in buffalo. he sent them out. we bloodied them up and sent them back to him in a package. betty jean grant is from the same place, okay? these are andrew cuomo's surrogates. he doesn't want to face me himself, but he sends out surrogates to do his dirty work. >> you never said it? >> no, i've never said it. >> okay. we look forward to continuing our discussions with you in the future and thank you for being with us tonight. and we should also say we

welcome andrew cuomo to be on our show any time. next, we go one-on-one with a british knight. he says yanks ought to try something the british way. stay tuned for sir richard branson alias, dr. yes.

it's been 234 years since we americans let the british tell us how to run our politics, but that isn't stopping sir richard branson.

i caught up with him in new york while he was rubbing elbows with world leaders at the clinton global initiative. first of all, thanks for doing this. >> pleasure. >> grateful. one of the tensions currently in american politics is what's the role of government and what's the role of the private sector? there is growing lack of faith in government right now in the u.s. and actual anger in general at government's growth. do you think it's appropriate for american ceos to step in and take over some of the social services that government has been providing? >> i think when governments do not tackle some of the world's problems then it is certainly up to business leaders to play that part in filling the gap. let's say, take global warming. government are not talking about global warming anymore, because in america it's something americans don't seem to be willing to listen to.

they're not talking about the fact that the world is running out of energies and resources are running low. therefore, it's up to the business community to step in and make sure that we come up with alternative fuels that are clean fuels, part of the economy, that we come up with wind power and the solar power and make sure that, you know, the country is not dependent on the middle east for our energy supplies. it's up to us to fill the gap and hopefully we can bring the government along with us. >> one of the things that seems to distinguish remarkable people like yourself and some of those folks from everyone else is when you hear no you push past it. what do you hear inside of yourself, what is common among people who don't let the bureaucracy get in the way, don't let it can't be done, it has been done, forget it, get in

their way? >> called me dr. yes. my favorite phrase is screw it, let's do it. life is a lot more fun if you say yes than no. if people just give it a try, occasionally you'll fall flat on your face, but you know, but life is so much more rewarding if you can try things and even if you full flat on your face you're going to learn from it. >> was there ever a moment when you heard no in something and said you know what, screw it, i don't care, i'm going to try it? like a particular -- >> i think when we were discussing whether to start virgin galactic, a commercial space ship company, i think everybody said no, and i just thought, look, you know, you only live once. you know, wouldn't it be wonderful to go into space and take other people into space? and to give nasa a run for their

money. so it's been tremendous fun and now we have the space ship finished. we have the mother ship fini finished. the space port is nearly fini finished. we're at the birth of a new space era. it's a lot more fun to say yes than no. >> one of the things you have been critical of in the u.s. was president obama's handling of the bp situation. how do you think it is now that it's been resolve f d, and what the view of him overseas right now? >> everybody wants president obama to succeed, and everybody wants america to succeed. and the sort of divisive politics in america i think a side for us foreigners to see. there are so many important things america need to do. they need to take a lead on global warming. because of the politics of america, that's not happening. all i can say is, you know, i

hope that the divisive american politics can be put on one side and politicians can be big enough to allow the president to get some positive things done in this world. >> a view from a distance, does it seem that much more divisive here, the politics than it is overseas in some ways? we see there's massive protests all the time in france, there are movements in various european countries are used to mass protest movements. >> in england we're fortunate we actually have a coalition government. >> right. >> and it's actually been wonderful. and wouldn't it be nice if america could have a coalition government where people were working to actually achieve things for their people? >> so our process, from afar, our process seems messed up? >> yes. i would say that it would be great if some wise men and women

could sit back and try to rethink the process of america. because it doesn't seem to be working very satisfactory at the moment. >> curious with your generosity, first of all, do you plan to leave a certain amount of your money when you die? bill gates has made this commitment. is that something you've signed up to do? >> i haven't signed up to specific commitments, but as i said, i'm a great believer the vast amount of money that i have is on loan to do good things with. and i will make sure that we do very good things with it. whether i give all my wealth away, whether i leave -- it will largely depend actually on whether i feel like my children are capable of building virgin up even bigger and making the amount of money it earned even more so we can achieve even

more. >> has president obama been bad for business? >> i don't think president obama's been bad for business. i think -- i think that the decisions made by the previous government were certainly bad for business because they left the world in a mess. and not just the american government but other governments around the world made some dreadful decisions which left the world in a mess. but now president obama and people around the world have got to dig ourselves out of that mess. we have got to invest. get on top as many of the world problems as we possibly can and i think we can to so. >> thank you. >> thanks very much. >> great. richard branson is a member of the blue panel ribbon that chose this year's ten finalists for cnn's heroes initiative. and now, it's up to you to two

to cnnheroes.com any time between now and november 17th. read each person's inspiring story and vote for the cnn hero of the year. the winner will be revealed when anderson cooper hosts the cnn heroes all-star tribute on thanksgiving night, november 25th. we need to take a break right now. when we come back we'll check in with cnn's own top chef, john king.

words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments?

i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right.

welcome back. joining me now a the table are senior correspondent joe johns and senior congressional correspondent dana bash to talk more about today's news and the republicans' new agenda. i want to first go to you and play for you the sound you got. you had an exclusive interview with john boehner and let's discuss it. listen to this. >> one of the things you said you want to is allow any member, democrat or republican, to call

for a vote on cutting spending. you won't stop any of those requests. let's say somebody comes up and says, i want to have a vote to eliminate the tee apartment of time for us to fix the institution of the congress. it's broken. the american people know it's broken. the members know it's broken. >> if somebody says -- >> if members want to offer amendments, why shouldn't they be able to? let's let the house work its l no matter what kind of position it puts some of your other members in? >> all of us can defend our votes. >> so, dana, was that an answer? >> that actually was an answer. and i just -- one of the things that fascinated me about this 45-page document they put out is that there were a couple of things, especially all three of us who have covered the hill for a long time, this could be interesting if it played out in real terms and that particular measure or bullet point said we are going to allow any member of congress to offer any amendment if it has a reduction in

spending. so, like, okay. well, you really want to have your members vote on some of the things that they are campaigning on. you know, you have been out with some of the he tea party candidates. they want to abolish not just the department of education, the national endowment of the arts along with historical lists from republicans but when the rubber meets the road, this is a tough vote. >> sure, this is a tricky business. when you look at the document, they say they will have a vote a week or whatever, or allow a vote every week on budget reductions. but that is license for mischief in the real world of legislation, because people -- things people love can just go right down the toilet in no fell swoop and the democrats would be helping if they are in the minority. >> let's get to another piece of your interview, if we can and we will talk about t. >> some of your colleagues said, you know what, it comes to it we will shut down the government what we have to do to hold the line on spending. would you go that far? >> our goal is to fight for a smaller, less costly, more

accountable government here in washington, d.c. it is not to shut down the government. >> but let's just play this out. you're successful -- this is serious. because what people out there are saying is we want you to prove that you really mean it this time. so if you're successful in cutting spending and the president not happy with what you passed, he vetoes it, does that mean if you are not willing to shut the government, are you going to cave? >> we want a smaller, less costly and more accountable government in washington and we are pledging to the american people that we will fight for that goal. >> okay. so dana, look, didn't work so well for them before when they shut down government s this a political document really? >> it is a political document. >> purely? it is a purely political document and they will admit it is a political document because it is the politics of trying to convince voters that they are for something, not just against something. but jessica there are a lot of republicans who -- and you heard eric ericsson, republicans, why did we do this? we are just giving something to the democrats to put up on the dart board and attack us, when we were doing pretty well

attacking them. >> i want to apologize there we got to go to the big guy in dorchester, massachusetts, cooking up a storm, john. we all had your cook and you are actually an excellent chef, we have to say. we wanted to tease you but you are good. tell us what you are doing. >> well, one quick point i want to make about that interview, i stopped by to see the republican challenger running against barney frank today a long shot republican. his name is sean belat. and he said he thinks he supports this document but they didn't share it with the candidates, they didn't reach out to the challengers. that is very different from 994. the republicans involved a lot of their challenger in 1994. a quick observation there. what am i cooking? i'm working with the folks here, amazing food, pulled pork, some mack and cheese. senator scott brown just took the last oyster, jess, i'm sorry to report that to you. he is here tonight. and right behind me here, i'm going to turn them around real quick, my first campaign for president was covering this guy right here, the former governor of massachusetts, michael

dukakis, he can't hear you, say hello to every be in washington. >> hi, everybody in washington. >> he eating your cooking? >> he is eating right now, he is, in fact, eating. they teach you in television not to eat on television. but it is actually -- it is a great charity event to raise money, as i said, for low-income health center here, specifically for women who have to come to t in a year where there is no bipartisanship, under this tent tonight there are democrats and republicans, governor dues khakis, his wife, kitty is here, senator scott brown is here, the mayor of boston, i talked to him. >> dana what is his best dish? you have had his cooking. >> salmon. salmon. >> salmon? what are you cooking tonight? >> debating my best dish back there what is your best dish? >> here. >> when you cook, yeah. >> my best dish? i got a lot of great dishes.

many of them greek. >> i will let you guys have your fun and we will get back to you. >> we got to take a quick break and pay the bills, but we will have more on the other side of the break. stay with us. gecko: oh...sorry, technical difficulties. boss: uh...what about this? gecko: what's this one do? gecko: um...maybe that one. ♪ dance music boss: ok, let's keep rolling. we're on motorcycle insurance. vo: take fifteen minutes to see how much you can save on motorcycle, rv, and camper insurance.

i'm chef michael, and i love to delight bailey's senses.too. don't i? [ barks ] because i think food speaks a language of love. that's what inspired me to rethink dry dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. [ chef michael ] mmm. tender shredded pieces made with real meat... and crunchy garnishes to enhance the mealtime experience. yes, bailey-- just for you. [ barks ] [ female announcer ] chef inspired, dog desired. chef michael's canine creations.

welcome back. coming up at the top of the hour is rick sanchez in atlanta. rick, we want to hear what you have on your show but i hear you were making fun of john in his apron today. is that true? >> yeah, i just don't think aprons are masculine. >> he is a good chef. >> he may be a great chef. >> keep the clothes clean. >> just the way i was raised. i can't help it, you know? hey, speaking of the way some people were raised, there is an unbelievable development tonight in that story of that embattled pastor here in atlanta. apparently, sent some pictures out using his cell phone that show him in ways that we don't usually think about pastors. we have got the pictures and going to be sharing them with you. that is on "rick's list." back to you. >> thanks, rick that is at the top of the hour. john in dorchester, off special guest with you you huh, john?

>> i have the democratic governor of massachusetts. i moderated a debate here the other night, one of four candidates on stage. we don't take sides on elections but do applaud anybody who does good charity work. governor patrick, welcome tonight. [ inaudible ]. >> some wonderful work and the success of community health centers is critical to the success of health care reform in massachusetts and the work they do, particularly around women's health, domestic violence, issues around family planning, incredibly important. >> and you got you and scott brown under the same tent, governor dukakis. haven't had much bipartisanship? about an hour here? >> [ inaudible ]. >> we appreciate your time tonight. jessica, i want to come back to you this is coming back, might have to go on the set when i get back. i don't think my wife will let me bring it to the house. >> you have one of those at home. she thinks you have one. all right. thanksso